ABSTRACT
How Canadians have viewed America and Americans has always been crucial to their national identity. Their earliest perceptions revealed a division between anti-American elites and a general public that did not share these sentiments to nearly the same degree. Particularly after the War of 1812, rejection of the American model and values and fear of annexation by the United States would become more prominent in the Canadian image of their neighbor. Since the late 1800s, Canadians have been largely ambivalent toward the United States, anti-American sentiment being greatest among cultural elites and a significant part of the political elite. In the 1970s, Canada’s embrace of multiculturalism became a significant marker of difference and, in the eyes of Canadians, superiority over what was perceived to be the value system of the United States. The presidency of Donald Trump amplified concerns that already existed among Canadians about what most of them believe to be America’s declining role in the world and what this might mean for the country’s relationship with the United States.
